This may also be a possibility; I know ive had to manually add the printer in devices and printers to make it show up after which point you will still need to get windows to search for the drivers. Even though yes; windows is suppose to look for the right driver(s) for the device by itself; for whatever reason; sometimes you have to do the above to get it to show up.
This is the 2nd Monitor suddenly not working issue posted- the other one we're not having much luck.
Anyway mom can boot from disc or thumbdrive? I wondering if there's a fakir (my term) out there... let me search for the issue, although it is recent and might not be widely reported.
If it is malware and it has messed with Bios, then fixing it is going to be a bear - flying blind.
There is a LOT of this going around. Some talk about voltages, bad cards,bad cables, Bios updates, etc
One person was able to wake up their machine by holding the power button down for 4-5 seconds, when the box restarted (not clear if the person did a cold boot) the machine came back without data loss (probably hibernation or hybrid sleep)
If this works, I would purge the hibernation file
disable hibernation (elevated cmd prompt, powercfg -h off)
restart
enable hibernation (elevated cmd prompt, powercfg -h off)
restart
-> enter bios
load defaults
save and exit
The next thing I would try is How To Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS)
Note: A fourth way to clear CMOS on some systems is to disconnect any power source (battery and AC), then simply hold the power button down for 2 minutes. This might not work on all systems though.
The surest way is to remove the CMOS button battery for about 20 minutes, then put the battery back in. You could opt for a new CMOS battery, How to replace the CMOS battery.
start the system
-> enter bios
load defaults
save and exit
Last edited by Slartybart; 09 Jan 2014 at 13:50. Reason: add: disconnect power source
Fact:
Monitor has been tested and is working
Observation:
I don't think "Mom" CAN boot from a thumb drive. If the bios is not being accessed (no info on screen), then booting as a whole is not possible.
malware or virus:
I doubt it! She rarely uses the internet, mostly installed(virus-free) games. She has Microsoft Security Essentials and SuperAntiSpyware installed. This combination has worked very well for me in the past.
Also, she uses Firefox with adblocks+, which is another layer of protection against malware entryways.
Yeah, I knew my post might confuse somethings.
1) my 2nd monitor reference is to another thread. Should have been more clear.
2) disregard malware"thinking out loud"
3) .... on to flushing CMOS
Thanks for re-emphasizing that the monitor works.
More thinking out loud
Did you use the same monitor cable when you tested?
Are there any POST beeps or lights at boot?
Does the HD spin up?
--> No? Disconnect HD, reconnect.
Dust / dirt in machine?
Do the fans spin?
I'm hoping it's CMOS - try that 1st.
Fact: I disabled Hibernation when I installed the OS
There isn't a hibernation option in the bios, is there? Can't get into the bios anyways...
Observation:
Clearing the CMOS will reset the bios to defaults, which will then not allow the machine to boot from USB or CD\DVD, not that it does right now any-ways, though I haven't tried.
But clearing the CMOS may be an option.
Problem is, the monitor works and absolutely nothing is displayed when the computer is turned on. Thus, I would suspect either the nVidia graphics card or the mother board. This is essentially what I need ways to troubleshoot one vs the other.
My plan as it stands now will be:
1) Try booting from a CD/DVD (Acronis TrueImage)
2) Remove and reinsert CMOS battery
3) Figure how to determine whether or not the issue might be the graphics card or the mother board.
If it's the graphics card, then I would be able to enter bios, or even operate windows (blindly), but the key detractor in the second scenario is that the mouse does not seem to be working(chalk one up for the Mobo).
I have another graphics card, but am not sure the computer will accept the slot type.
4) Check slot availability for alternate graphics card.
Last edited by dTonic; 09 Jan 2014 at 16:36. Reason: additions
Did some troubleshooting...
1)
Had my father check the connections for the HDD. Also had him place his hand on the drive when starting the computer up. His observations were not conclusive...."seems to be spinning."
The On Board Debug Port later displayed a code, "26" which references Clock Gen / Init onboard clock generator and sensor (no idea what this means). Don't know if other codes flashed prior to this.
2)
Placed Acronis TrueImage Boot Disc in CDROM Drive and rebooted.
Nothing new... No Debug code showed up this time, "--"
3)
Had them remove the CMOS battery and am currently in a Dinner break. Will finish the CMOS test when they call back.
I will also have my father keep an eye on the Debug codes for multiple codes...etc.
Additionally:
I do have a compatible graphics card for their system, but am still suspect with respect to the mobo.
Been searching for one that would be comparable with the other hardware...
DDR2 800 (2x 1GB, 2x 2GB - tot. 6GB)
PCI slots for graphics card
Socket AM2
4 Ram Memory Slots
Found:
ASRock 960GC-GS FX AM3+/AM3/AM2+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard for $55 at newegg.com
*This has onboard graphics capability and thus a graphics card would not be absolutely necessary.The Micro ATX will allow me to integrate into a smaller case I have.
Q: will AM2 work in AM2+ socket?....so far my search says yes.
more to come...
I'm kinda hoping the mobo is gone... this way solving this issue may, in turn, solve the USB/Printer issues!!
Same Monitor cable, but it does use an adapter for that "new" monitor style!
No Beeps whatsoever...
We think so!
Clean 3 weeks ago!
Yes, all 7 fans are running.
2 - power supply
1 - HDD
1 - CPU
1 - GPU
2 - Case Fans
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